Path of the Berserker

Blue Rose wore a stupid smile on her face the entire time Tu’lok led us from the courtyard to the library and alchemy lab just outside the main prison. She obviously enjoyed my self-deprecation, especially in front of a prick of a young master like Jei Su Long seemed to be.

“Hey, Tu’lok,” I said. “What’s the deal with our commander, do you know him?”

“More than I know you,” he said looking down at me with a glance. “Which isn’t to say much mind you, but what I do know is that Jei Su Long in not one to be trifled with. Now you’re both already on his bad side. Not a good start, Iron Bull.”

He was probably right.

Granted I didn’t know Tu’lok very well either, having only meet him a day prior, but he seemed a by the book, even keel sort of guy. His demeanor now was no different, focused more on getting us to our destination than bothering with idle chit chat.

“He looks very young,” Blue Rose said. “And his Qi density is substantial. I bet he’s High Tier Core Realm at least.”

“Most like him who come here are that way,” Tu’lok said. “We call them Token Black Robes. But not to their faces, mind you.”

“Token?” Blue Rose asked. “What do you mean?”

“Volunteer Tributes from prestigious families within the core worlds. He’s likely the son of a Warden or Lower Court Lord, feed pills and elixirs his whole live to accelerate down the cultivation path. Now he’s probably a half step from the Sacred Soul Realm and looking for a quick placement in the Diamond Bracket before he has his breakthrough.” Tu’lok then let out a scoff. “People like him won’t even need to set foot on a Hell World to get his jade trim.”

“Even in this place the core worlds have their influence,” Tu’lok said. “Special privilege. Try not to let it get to you though. It is what it is.”

So that was it, I thought. The pampered path the Princess was trying to put me on.

“To hell with all that,” I said, my Flame stirring. “I’m here for the gains not the glory.”

Well, the glory too, admittedly.

I still needed that Diamond Bracket ranking to face the Warden, after all.

Tu’lok chortled. “With a statement like that, I wonder why you flaked out just now to stay behind and make elixirs.” He then glanced at Blue Rose and smiled. “But I’d say the answer to that is pretty obvious.”

I immediately laughed and Blue Rose turned a shade of red.

“There’s nothing like that going on between us!” Blue Rose said. “We’re not even friends.”

“Yeah,” I said with smile. “I hate this bitch.”

Tu’lok let out a belly-laugh and Blue Rose turned even redder.

“Cute,” he said. “Alright, this is it.”

We stopped in front of the prison library, a standalone structure that was two stories high. Next to it was the alchemy lab, which was a single story but a lot wider. White Robes were already busying themselves within the lab, heating kettles and flasks over open flames. Tu’lok lead us towards the doors to the library and when he ushered us through, I was surprised to find the place fairly well kept and stocked with books on an upper floor accessible by stairwells. The bottom floor seemed to be comprised of classrooms with desks, seating cushions and chalkboards.

“Stay here,” Tu’lok said. “I’ll get Master Eiji.”

When he left, Blue Rose elbowed me in the ribs. “Don’t get any ideas about what he said, understand?”

I merely laughed again as I cultivated the anger in her soul. “Please, I’m not even attracted to you. Besides I’m engaged.”

That caused her anger to quickly flare and then cease.

“Engaged?”

“Yeah, a kid on the way too, I think,” I said and felt the pressure suddenly mount as I thought on that some more. Nine months. I really needed to get a move on. “Trust me Blue, I got no time to waste here either. Especially playing around and trying to sleep with you. Probably way too many thorns around that rose anyway.”

Her mouth hung open in shock and insult. “What did you just say?! You disg—!”

I nudged her as Tu’lok returned but smiled inwardly as Blue Rose’s insides exploded with anger and rage. I cultivated it passively as a man steeped from behind Tu’lok and gave us a bow. He was short and balding with gray hair and wore a white robe just like us. He looked in his sixties with a wispy white beard to match his hair and wore a pair of scholar spectacles on the end of his bulbous nose.

“Ah, new recruits,” he said in a worn and gravely voice.

I couldn’t sense Qi, so I had no idea what realm this guy was in, but he clearly hadn’t reached the Sacred Soul Realm to stop the aging process, but he might have slowed it at least. With that considered, I pondered just how old this guy might actually be and how long he had been stuck as a white robe to now be in charge of such an important operation like this.

“Welcome to the library,” he continued. “My name is Eiji, the curator here and head alchemist. As we are the same ranking you need not bow to me, but I do ask that you pay attention to what I teach you. Our role within the academy is an important one. Perhaps even vital to its success. Without a means cultivate naturally, what we do here is our only means to progress and produce the legionnaires who go on to defend the empire and harvest aetherite. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Master Eiji,” we said in unison, and both Blue Rose and I gave him a bow even though he said not to. Something about the sagely way he spoke demanded nothing less.

Tu’lok then gave Master Eiji a bow as well. “I go now to processing, Master Eiji.”

“Very well Tu’lok,” Eiji said. “Thank you for bringing them to me.”

As Tu’lok departed Master Eiji ushered us towards one of the classrooms.

“Follow me,” he said. “There is much you must learn before you even touch a monster core.”

* * *

I was never that good at school.

Even back before the fall I had a hard time.

Undiagnosed ADHD probably.

Thrusting my dumbass in a Yee classroom was probably the worst thing for me. I could still recall the swift slaps from bamboo canes when I would zone out or get an answer wrong. Those old feelings came back to me as more new recruits joined us. I recognized a couple of them from our exam. A few others I guessed were from other intakes but who were put on monster core harvesting rotation first. There were about twenty of us in total and I sat next to Blue Rose as she gingerly tried to outstretch her leg while lowering herself on the cushion.

But to not much success.

It looked awkward as hell and eventually I just stood back up and helped her without asking.

“Hey!” she said in protest, but I picked her up and plopped her on the floor before she could say anything else.

She stewed with anger and lemonade but didn’t say anything else.

I certainly didn’t expect a ‘thank you’, but the free Frenzy was nice.

“What is a core?” Master Eiji said from the front of the classroom. “We all know what one is, of course, but what is it truly? What is it made of? How is it able to store energy? How do these energies differ? And more importantly how do we harness these energies to produce elixirs?”

He certainly got my attention with that opening line.

On a chalkboard behind him, Master Eiji began to draw the components of a core and how the energy trapped inside it was due to a crystalline lattice that was produced by the Dantian. He then further explained monsters had this same ability and that their Dantian’s worked in a slightly different way than our own.

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“We call cultivation defying the heavens for a reason,” Master Eiji said. “To gather Qi in one’s Dantian defies nature itself. It is our strength of will, the power of our very souls which allow us the ability to do this. For spirits beasts and monsters, this process is natural and thus their cores can be undone by nature. This is an important fact, so remember it well. This property of monster cores differs to those produced through cultivation. The lattice produced by a cultivator is structured by will and order and only through chaos can they be dissolved. This is why only demonic forces or demonic cultivators can make use of the essence within a cultivator’s core.”

That caused a few murmurs of unease to filter through the class and ones I could identify with as well. It actually made me twitch a little to think that I was using the same demonic techniques to flavor my Dantian with Qi from the sliver of that old monk’s lightning core stitched inside of me.

“In ancient times most speculated that it was the feeding upon the cores of other cultivators that created demons and demonic cultivation,” Master Eiji said. “But through our study of extraction and refinement, it is clear the opposite is true. It was demonic cultivation which led to it. Not surprisingly, such is outlawed by the empire and the spread of this corruption is exactly why the academy stands. The demonic hordes of the Hell Worlds crave to feast upon the Qi rich planets within the empire. No different than this planet, which was once a thriving world itself. The demons, now starved of natural Qi, seek if from unnatural means. Meaning all of you. Cultivators with cores. But the corrupted beasts and demons of this world hold the same energy that they once consumed. Albeit it now, in a different form. And it is our task to extract this energy form that form to be used for ourselves.”

Master Eiji then drew an elemental wheel on the chalkboard with the five basic elements. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. He then drew lines between all of them. I quickly did the same on my notepad, realizing this next bit was probably important. Glancing over at Blue Rose, she had ten times the amount of notes than me already, clearly writing down everything Master Eiji had said.

My dumbass had problems just listening, much less writing at the same time.

I’ll have to ask her for her notes later on, I thought.

“Each core produced by a spirit beast or monster has an affinity,” Master Eiji continued. “By knowing this affinity, we can break down its lattice structure and extract the essence within it by applying a corresponding element. For example, the core of a Water aspect spirit beast can be used to grow a sapling, which can then be pressed to extract its pure essence from its sap and further refined for consumption. Likewise, a wood aspect core can be burned and its ashes titrated to extract it’s essence.”

Master Eiji then went on to explain the different processes for each element. It was a heck of a lot more involved than I first figured. I had originally thought they were just melted down or something.

“Any questions?” Master Eiji asked.

A woman near the front of the class raised her hand. “What about demonic cores? What element is used to dissolve them?”

“A very good question,” Master Eiji said. “Demonic cores can only be dissolved through holy means. Either the direct application of holy techniques or some substance which contains it. For our purposes here, we utilize an artifact which can extract them. But don’t think it’s something we harvest regularly. Such cores normally come from awakened demons, which thankfully do not emerge often on this planet. But upon the Hell Worlds there are many. Along with the aetherite, the harvesting of demonic cores is another objective of the Legionnaire excursions.”

That made me think for a moment about those towering monstrosities I’d seen on the surface of the moon. The cores within those things had to be huge. Although I was in the spirit realm when I saw them. So what was their representation in the real world?

I suppose I wouldn’t know until I ventured there myself.

But was stepping on the moon and a Hell World the same?

I had no idea, but the thought intrigued me.

“Now that we have learned the basic principles of extraction, we must now talk about refinement,” Master Eiji said as he wiped the chalkboard clean and began writing down a list of new elements. “Once the extracted element is obtained, a catalyst of the original base aspect must be added to draw out the pure essence of the extract and leave behind any impurities. To use the water core as an example again. The sap from the sapling grown from the water core, should be mixed with pure water and then left for the impurities within the sap to fall out.”

Master Eiji then went on to describe different methods for each element.

I kept pace as fast as I could, writing down the examples.

I glanced over at Blue Rose’s notebook and she was already way ahead of me.

Damn, I thought. Maybe I truly am a ‘Chun’.

We spent another two hours in the classroom, going over each element in detail and then another hour on how to actually calculate how much of each element needed to be added depending on the weight of the core and the method of extraction.

By the time we broke for lunch my brain felt fried.

When we for back to class, Master Eiji gave us a quiz and I scored 70%.

Which actually surprised the hell out of me.

I had expected to do a lot worse.

Blue Rose got 100.

As did a few others in the class.

She shook her head at me. “I guess it’s true what they say about you muscle bound types.”

She gave me a little smirk after that, but I didn’t have enough snark left in me to come back at her.

“You have all scored high enough to begin practical training,” Master Eiji said. “I will demonstrate what I have taught you this morning. If you do well, you will be allowed to join the production teams.”

He then led us all to the alchemy lab next door.

After the morning class, I had a much better understanding of what was going on now. There were about fifty people all working in small teams, each one refining a different type of core. Master Eiji took us to the section for wood-based cores and began the demonstration.

He placed the walnut-sized core in a ceramic crucible and heated it over a flame for a good 30 minutes. When he removed the lid, he showed us that it had reduced into a fine ash. He added some sawdust and charcoal to the mixture and then popped in something the looked like a lima beam. He set it aside and then went over the measurements he had used for each ingredient and did the math to show us how he came up with each measurement.

By the time he finished that, he then removed the bean from the ash/charcoal mixture and it had swelled to about four times its original size. He then crushed it in a press and a vibrant green liquid flowed out of it and into a small vial.

“And there it is,” Master Eiji said, holding it up for us all to see. “A wood aspect elixir, extracted in full and refined. This is now ready for consumption. Any takers?”

Everyone’s hand shot into the air except mine.

Master Eiji merely laughed. “The first Tribute to repeat what I have just demonstrated will be rewarded with an equivalent elixir of your affinity. Commence!”

People started sprinting like a starter pistol just went off, rushed the stash of monster cores like chefs from an old TV cooking show my Dad used to watch. Everyone then rushed to grab equipment and pulled out their notepads to record the weight of the core they had grabbed. I stood in the midst of them like a dummy until Blue Roe gave me a nudge.

“Come on, don’t be a dope,” she said. “I’ll help you.”

I followed her lead as she grabbed and measured two cores.

I wrote down the results and then she calculated how long each one had to cook inside the crucible and then how much water, sawdust and charcoal needed to be added. I had to admit, she did surprise me in how diligent she was.

“Looks like you’ve done this type of stuff before,” I said.

She gave me a sideward glance. “If I told you this is what my family does for a living, would you believe me?”

I had no idea if she was putting me on or not. Although she did score 100 percent on that quiz. I simply responded with a chuckle and watched mesmerized while she measured out the amounts of ingredients with a squint of her eyes. By the time she got her bean into the press she was in first place and raised her hand once she finished.

“Well done,” Master Eiji said. “And let’s see. What is your aspect?”

Blue Rose opened her mouth to answer, but Master Eiji was already focused on her Dantian, adjusting his spectacles. His eyes widened a bit and then he handed her the vial in his hand.

“I see,” he said. “A rare one, but you need not be concerned here. All forms of cultivators are welcome when facing the scourge of the Cursed Stars. The wood aspect elixir should match with the affinity of your core.”

“Thank you, Master Eiji,” Blue Rose said with a bow.

I was curious as hell as to what her aspect actually was, but I dared not ask her now.

Instead, I had another question to ask.

Learning chemistry was cool and all, but I had another purpose for wanting to be put on egghead duty. And it had nothing to do with cooking up Qi elixirs.

“Master Eiji,” I said, catching his attention right before he was about to move off. “I didn’t do very well on the quiz earlier. I was wondering if it was possible for me to spend some more time in the library to study.”

“I could go over the concepts with you some more if you like,” he said.

“Actually, I learn better from reading,” I said thinking quickly and in all honestly, it was probably true. “Are there some books you can point me to? I don’t mind sacrificing my rest time to study.”

Blue Rose stared up at me puzzled, perhaps not sure what I was trying to accomplish.

Master Eiji, however, seemed delighted. “A fellow reader. Come then. I will show you a few books you can read on your own. But they must remain in the library.”

“Works for me,” I said.

I flashed Blue Rose a grin as we left and she responded with a roll of her eyes.

Back in the library, Master Eiji led me up one of the stairwells to the upper floor. He selected a couple of books from a shelf and handed them to me. One was labeled ‘Basic Alchemy’ and the other was titled ‘The Art of Extraction’.

“These should help,” Eiji said. “They cover everything I taught this morning but in far more detail.”

“Thank you,” I said and finally felt the opportunity at hand to get what I truly wanted.

“Can I ask another question?”

Master Eiji raised a brow.

“Do you know much about cultivation in general? I’m nearing the 9th Tier of the Core Realm but can’t seem to manifest my secondary soul. Are there any books here that can help with that?”

“Well, I’m no cultivation expert as you can perhaps tell,” Eiji said. “But I do know that you probably won’t find much help for that in a book. Entering the Sacred Soul Realm is a very personal path. It’s different for everyone.”

“Yeah, so I’ve gathered.”

“What can help is as much Qi density as possible, this I know for certain. Also strengthening the root of one’s Dao. There are some guides on that if you’d like to take a look.”

“Really?” My heartbeat sped with excitement and anticipation. “That would be excellent.”

Master Eiji led me to another section of the library and showed me a rather small bookcase with only half a dozen tomes.

“Here is what we have on the matter of cultivation,” he said. “You are free to browse it while you have time.”

He then pointed to a second area that was cordoned off by black robes.

“That area is unpermitted for you at this stage,” Master Eiji said. “Be sure you do not venture in there. It is reserved for black robes.”

“Why?” I asked. “What’s so special about it?”

“Therein lies our main purpose for existence as I library,” Eiji said and looked almost nostalgically towards it. “They are the records of the sorties into the Hell worlds. Every scrap of knowledge we have about them is contained within those tomes. To this day we are still gleaning knowledge from the past to help with future campaigns.”

Damn, I thought.

I’d probably have better luck finding knowledge for my Dao in there than on the cultivation bookcase in front of me.

But such would have to wait.

“Study well, Iron Bull,” Master Eiji said. “I will test your knowledge in the future.”

I gave him another bow. “Thank you, master Eiji.”

As he left, I couldn’t believe the opportunity before me.

It was still early afternoon and it would be a good six hours until lights out.

I put aside the books on core extraction and refinement went hunting through the cultivation books right away.